Fix and Flip Loans in Wisconsin
AAPL Member · Direct Lender Since 2016 · NMLS #1979189
Wisconsin’s affordable housing stock and steady buyer demand make it one of the more dependable flip markets in the Midwest — Milwaukee’s deep supply of older homes is a renovation engine, and Madison and the Fox Valley reward a well-executed flip. But a good deal only matters if you can fund it fast enough to win it, and conventional banks are built for neither speed nor distressed property. Fix and flip loans are short-term, asset-based financing that funds both the purchase and the renovation of a distressed property based on what it will be worth after repairs, not on your W-2. We’ve financed Wisconsin flippers as a direct lender since 2016, we lend our own capital, and on the right deal we can fund up to 90% of the purchase and 100% of the rehab — so your cash keeps working instead of sitting at closing.
A fix and flip loan is a form of hard money — the property is the collateral, and we underwrite the asset rather than your personal finances. Instead of leading with your credit score, we focus on the property’s after-repair value (ARV). That’s what lets us move in days instead of weeks, and it’s why Milwaukee and Madison investors who need to close fast on a fixer-upper bring the deal to us.
How Fix and Flip Loans Work in Wisconsin
A fix and flip loan is short-term financing used to buy a distressed property, renovate it, and sell it for a profit. It funds both the acquisition and the rehab and is structured around your project timeline — typically a 12-month, interest-only term, so your carrying cost stays low while you’re spending on the work. Because it’s a business-purpose loan secured by the property, you can close in an LLC, and the decision rides on the deal, not your day job.
For Wisconsin deals we typically fund up to 90% of the purchase price and 100% of the renovation budget for qualified borrowers, as long as the combined amount stays within roughly 70% of the after-repair value. When a deal pencils out that way, the cash you bring to closing can be limited to points, closing costs, and reserves. The stronger your track record and the deal, the closer you get to those maximums. We lend on investment property only — never owner-occupied or primary residences.
How ARV Works — the 70% Rule
Everything on a fix and flip loan flows from the after-repair value, so it’s worth understanding the math. ARV is what the property will be worth once your renovation is complete, supported by comparable sales and an appraisal. We size the loan against it using the 70% rule: your total loan — purchase plus rehab — should stay within roughly 70% of the ARV. That cushion protects your profit margin and our position if the market shifts.
In plain terms: Maximum loan ≈ 70% × ARV. Say you find a distressed Milwaukee property with a $210,000 ARV. Seventy percent of that is $147,000 — your ceiling for purchase plus rehab combined. If you’re buying at $100,000 with a $40,000 rehab ($140,000 total), the deal fits under the ceiling, and you bring closing costs and reserves rather than a large down payment. The rehab is released through draws as the work is completed; when you sell at the ARV, you pay off the loan plus interest and costs and keep the rest.
Fix and Flip Lending Across Wisconsin's Major Markets
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the heart of Wisconsin’s flip activity, with affordable acquisition costs and a deep stock of older homes ideal for renovation. Our Milwaukee fix and flip loans fund the purchase and the rehab so you can move fast on distressed inventory and get the property back on the market.
Madison
Madison’s steady growth and strong buyer demand reward a well-executed renovation. We close fast enough to compete in a market where good deals attract multiple offers.
Green Bay & Beyond
Green Bay, Appleton, and the Fox Valley bring affordable, steady-demand flip opportunities, and we lend across Kenosha, Racine, and the surrounding submarkets statewide.
Wisconsin Fix and Flip Loan Parameters
Wisconsin Fix and Flip Loan Parameters
From Flip to Hold: the BRRRR Strategy in Wisconsin
Not every project ends in a sale. Many of our Wisconsin investors run the BRRRR method — buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat. You fund the purchase and rehab with a fix and flip or hard money loan, place a tenant, then instead of selling you refinance into a long-term DSCR loan and pull your capital back out through a cash-out refinance of up to 80% of the appraised value. In Wisconsin’s affordable cash-flow markets — Milwaukee especially — this is how investors build a rental portfolio without running out of cash. If you need to bridge a timing gap between deals, our Wisconsin bridge loans keep a deal alive when the clock is tight.
Why Wisconsin Investors Choose Tidal Loans
We’re a direct lender — we fund our own loans and make our own decisions, which is what lets us move quickly when your deal has a clock on it. We’ve financed Wisconsin flippers since 2016, funding deals across Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and the markets in between. We’d rather get the plan right at the start than fight problems halfway through the rehab.
- No minimum credit score — the deal carries the underwriting.
- Up to 90% of purchase + 100% of rehab within 70% of ARV.
- 12-month interest-only terms with rehab released by draw.
- AAPL member · Direct lender since 2016 · NMLS #1979189
Frequently Asked Questions
On qualifying deals, close to it. We fund up to 90% of the purchase and 100% of the rehab as long as the combined amount stays within 70% of the after-repair value, so the cash you bring can be limited to points, closing costs, and reserves rather than a large down payment. The wider the spread between your total cost and the ARV, the more leverage we can offer.
We have no minimum credit score, and the deal carries most of the underwriting weight, so we regularly fund investors whose credit wouldn’t clear a bank. We do run a hard credit pull — a true “no credit check” loan isn’t a real product — but a lower score doesn’t disqualify you; it’s offset with a higher rate, lower leverage, or more reserves. A strong deal with real margin and a clear exit matters far more than a perfect score.
ARV is the after-repair value — what the property will be worth once your renovation is done, backed by comparable sales and an appraisal. We size your loan with the 70% rule: your total purchase-plus-rehab should stay within about 70% of ARV. The wider the spread between your total cost and the ARV, the more leverage we can offer.
Often within about a week to two weeks on a clean file. Because we underwrite the property rather than your income, there’s far less paperwork than a conventional loan, no tax returns to dig up, and no slow committee. In a competitive market, that speed is frequently what wins the deal.
Yes. We work with first-time investors — the deal and the exit matter more than your track record. A first-timer with a well-analyzed property, realistic comps, and a clear rehab scope is in good shape; experience mainly helps with the highest-leverage, lowest-out-of-pocket structures.
1–4 unit residential is the core, and we also fund 5+ unit properties. The property must be an investment property — we never lend on owner-occupied or primary residences.
Ready to fund your Wisconsin flip?
Get a fast quote from a direct lender — or call and walk your Milwaukee or Madison project through with us.